“As an entrepreneur, everything that has gone through my heart before my head has had a positive impact.” Elías began the first part of the session stressing the importance of connecting with the purpose and how it can affect a company’s results. Likewise, the Veritas president stated that a large part of business success is due to the implementation of the purpose and that his experience at Veritas has confirmed it, “Our purpose is for people to be the best version of themselves thanks to Veritas, and this makes our customers excited.”

Elías pointed out that a key moment in the company’s growth was when they reconceptualised purpose: “Organic food was not the purpose but a means to make the world better.” In this sense, Elías shared that this definition of purpose helped them to endure for more than twenty years even in times of crisis.

In the second part of the session, Núria Ramírez, UIC Barcelona alumni and RTVE journalist, interviewed Elías and reviewed of the origins and current situation of Veritas. “Our main challenge is to build demand, solve a problem for people that they don’t even know they have.” And he added, “Veritas is a space where we help people to be the best version of themselves.”

When asked what an entrepreneur must have, Elías answered, “Passion. You must be passionate about your project, be committed and perseverant, but above all else be aligned and experience the purpose of the company.” And he stressed, “Keep good company on your journey as an entrepreneur. There are no bad days that good team of people cannot fix.”

At the end of the session, attendees were able to ask questions and enjoyed a networking space where they could share ideas and experiences.

The institutional welcome was given by Òscar Carbó, director of the Knowledge Transfer and Research Valorisation Centre at UIC Barcelona. This session closed the third edition of the Emprèn Lecture Series, which aims to offer students, alumni and researchers a solid training framework around issues related to project financing, legal requirements or public tools needed to become an entrepreneur.